1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an inkjet recording apparatus and an inkjet recording method, and more particularly to an inkjet recording apparatus and an inkjet recording method which promote drying and permeation of the solvent of ink or treatment liquid which has been deposited onto a recording medium, and which promote especially permeation into a recording medium of a high-boiling-point solvent having a boiling point of 100° C. or above.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-292956 discloses a cut sheet rotary printing machine which comprises a holding apparatus for holding cut sheet paper, a rotatably composed conveyance drum which conveys cut sheet paper, and a NIP (non-impact printing) print head, opposing the conveyance drum, which prints onto the cut sheet paper. After printing onto the cut sheet paper in the conveyance apparatus, the paper is transferred to a chain conveyance apparatus of a cut sheet paper output apparatus.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-202973 discloses a high-speed image forming apparatus which comprises a drum that is rotatable at a uniform circumferential speed and a gripping hook holding device which is capable of gripping a print medium on the outer circumferential side of the drum, wherein a print medium is gripped on the outer circumferential side of the drum by the gripping hook holding device and recording is performed onto the print medium by an inkjet recording head. After printing onto the print medium which has been held on the outer circumferential side of the drum, the print medium is separated from the drum without carrying out drying, and is conveyed and output in a state where the recording surface of the print medium lies in contact with a pressing belt conveyor.
However, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-292956 does not disclose the drying of the print image or the drying of the ink.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-202973 does not disclose a drying unit, and when the recording medium which has been recorded on the drum is output after being separated from the drum, the recording surface of the print medium makes contact with the pressing belt conveyor and hence there is a possibility of the occurrence of image defects.
Here, when an image is formed on the recording medium by the inkjet recording head, the non-aqueous solvent (a solvent other than water) which is contained in the treatment liquid remains on the recording medium, and when ink droplets are ejected in this state, the coloring material in the ink flows on the recording medium, image non-uniformities occur and there is a possibility of decline in the quality of the image. Furthermore, when an image is formed by depositing inks of a plurality of colors, such as cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), black (K), or the like, then there is a possibility of decline in the quality of the image due to the occurrence of color mixing.
Moreover, if the image is fixed in a state where the non-aqueous solvent contained in the ink remains on the recording medium, then the fixing properties decrease and there is a possibility of decline in the quality of the image. In particular if using a recording medium having a low permeation rate (coated printing paper, or the like) in which the speed of permeation of the non-aqueous solvent is slow, then the fixing properties decrease and there is a possibility of decline in the quality of the image.
On the other hand, if a drying or curing device is arranged to the downstream side of the ink head over the print drum, then the print drum is heated, the meniscus in the ink head is dried and cured, and there is a possibility that ejection failures may occur in the ink head.